Evil Never Dies
The universe is in a constant state of chaos. Though it may achieve peace temporarily, peace can never be it's constant state. For that reason, there have always been those whose goal it is to protect the universe when this chaos arises... In the infinite space of the cosmos, a lone space pod rushes away from a small, lonely planet. Seconds later, a deafening roar rips the silence of space as the planet is obliterated. Three years after the death of the , chaos is beginning to seep into the universe once again. Dark Premonitions Kami's Lookout was a floating palace... literally. It was everything most modern kings and queens dreamed of when they dreamed of a perfect place to rule the Earth's populace. And yet, this was not a place of global domination. It was the solitary residence of , the Guardian of the Earth. The young Namekian stood at the edge of the Lookout, fervently clasping the cane that had belonged to his predecessor, — a look of anxious exasperation on his emerald-laced, Namekian skin, as he looked out over the planet he held so much love for. Behind him, the figure of , his ever faithful companion, looked on with an expression of almost helplessness on his face. "What is it, Dende?" Popo's voice asked, a hint of concern at its edge. "Something terrible has happened, Mr. Popo." Dende responded after a few seconds of thought. "A lot of lives were just destroyed; all in an instant. And now, there are two large powers coming towards the Earth." "Do you know what they are?" Popo asked, trying to elicit more specific details from his young master. Dende didn't respond, merely shaking his head to indicate that he didn't have an answer that would satisfy Mr. Popo. In reality, he didn't even have an answer that would satisfy himself. The only thing he could elicit from the energy he felt rapidly approaching the planet, was that one of the powers felt immensely evil. Something of dreadful proportions. From the shadows of Dende's temple, several yards behind the two, a large figure, also Namekian, stepped out from the elaborate entryway — long white cape fluttering violently in the winds which controlled the top portions of the Earth. "Dende..." came a much deeper voice, from the new figure. From afar, Dende answered the newcomer, "So you've felt it too, eh, Piccolo?" he replied softly. The enormous Namek nodded gravely, turning his face towards the clear skies of Earth. His eyes narrowed, as if trying to question the heavens telepathically to obtain answers to the questions racing through his wise mind. "We should tell Goku and the others." Piccolo finally said, returning his attention to the young Guardian. "Whatever is coming, we all need to be prepared." Dende nodded without hesitation this time, "Yes, I think that would be wise." he replied. Return of the Z Team! The cold air of nipped and bit at Son Gohan's skin as he soared through the air towards his home. He had finally finished his winter classes at Orange Star High School and was going home for the holidays for a much needed break. His peaceful thoughts were temporarily interrupted by a puttering noise nearby. Craning his head to get a better view, Gohan caught sight of his younger brother, Son Goten, flying wildly through the clouds on the that he had given him shortly before the battles with Majin Buu. Gohan said nothing, but grinned at his younger brother's zeal. At ten years old, Goten had become no less energetic than three years ago, during the fights against Buu. Shortly thereafter, the two brothers arrived at their small home, nestled among the foothills, with Goten leaping of Nimbus to race Gohan to the ground. Both boys raced each other across the front lawn, bursting into their home with laughter and loud whoops, much to the surprise of their mother, . "There you boys are!" she exclaimed, sitting the dish she was rising back down in the sink. "Its almost dinner time! Go wash up!" "Where's daddy?" Goten chirped, almost as if he'd ignored her entirely. "Probably in the foothills training, if I know him." Chi-Chi remarked. "I really wish he'd get a job!" Gohan chuckled at the thought of his father holding down an actual job, "We'll go get him before we wash up." he replied, waving to his mother as he ran back out the front door, Goten swiftly behind him. "Hurry!" Chi-Chi shouted after them. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes!" Gohan hurried across the lawn, leaping into the air and bursting into flight. It didn't take him long to sense his father's energy. He wasn't too far from the house, so it wouldn't take the boys long to find him. As they flew towards their destination, another energy signature registered and both boys snapped their heads around to see who it was. At top speed, Piccolo closed in on the boys, flying up next to them while continuing the course towards Goku. "Piccolo?" Gohan asked, confused. "What are you doing way out here?" "I need to talk to your father." Piccolo replied, not bothering to take his focus off what was in front of him. "Its good that you're here, Gohan, Goten. You should hear this too." "Hear what?" Gohan asked again. "Patience, all in due time. Look, there he is." Piccolo responded, nodding in the direction of a figure down by the lake. The figure was none other than Goku, who was ferociously practicing his punches and kicks over the lake — his power and speed causing great disturbances in the water below him. Goku seemed to detect their ki, as their approach caused him to stop his training and turn to see who was coming towards him. Upon recognizing his sons and Piccolo, Goku flew over to the nearby shore where he met up with the entourage. Piccolo slowly told the three Sons what he had learned at the Lookout, about the approaching energies to the planet Earth. "I see, I can feel them too now!" Goku exclaimed. "One of them is definitely evil." "We have less than an hour before the first one arrives. The second more evil one, however, has a few more hours before arrival." Piccolo continued. Goku nodded, "I guess we don't have a choice but to investigate the first arrival. It may give us some indication as to what is coming." he preached. "Indeed." Piccolo replied. "Dende and I were thinking the same thing." "Darn, that means we'll miss dinner." Gohan griped. "Mom is not going to be happy about that." "Nah, she'll be fine!" Goku chirped in his usual cheerful, but ignorant voice. "But, I do have an empty stomach..." Piccolo closed his eyes and shook his head, as if in disgust, "Look, I still need to gather the others. Go have your dinner and meet us in the in forty-five minutes. That seems to be the likely landing place." "Okay, you've got it!" Goku exclaimed excitedly. "Come on boys! I'll get us home with Instant Transmission!" Without any further time for protest, Goku grabbed both of his sons and vanished from sight. Piccolo chuckled to himself and shook his head again before launching back into the sky to search for the other Z Warriors. Their time was now becoming limited. New Saiyan Arrival A rapturous wind gusted across the multi-leveled plateaus of the Yunzabit Heights. It was the coldest known location on Earth for a reason, and yet, against the darkened, cold skies of the Heights, six figures stood tall and proud. It had been almost three years since the last gathering of these legendary heroes of Earth. Thunder rumbled and lightning tore across the dark clouds of the sky. As usual, Vegeta looked annoyed by the very fact that he had been summoned to such a dreary place — pacing back and forth frantically, and groaning the entire time. "This is taking too long!" he roared in protest. "I don't understand why we can't just blow both of those things up now and be done with it!" "Calm down, Vegeta!" Goku reasoned. "We don't even know if this first entity is a threat yet! We can't just blow him up too." "Bah!" Vegeta spat, crossing his arms in his trademark fashion. "Quiet everyone!" Piccolo interjected, "The first one is here!" The warriors turned their focus to the skies. At first, nothing happened, though the group could clearly sense the approach. However, within seconds, a familiar Saiyan pod crashed through the layers of clouds concealing Earth's marvelous heavens and racing towards impact with terrifying speeds. The sight of a Saiyan pod caught the entire group's attention — it wasn't something anyone was expecting to see. The pod picked up speed the further down it came, until crashing, with a deafening explosion, into the earth; leaving behind a staggering crater. Now the warriors waited, watching very closely the crater in which the pod had landed within. They wouldn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, a figure with tattered Saiyan armor emerged from the crater. His movement was labored, as he seemed to be limping as if he were nursing a significant wound. The newcomer seemed to notice the group watching him, because he halted his movements and simply stared in their direction. Unable to wait any longer, with patience having run out, Vegeta stepped forward, jabbing his pointer finger towards the newcomer. "Who are you?!" he shouted. "What the hell do you want on this planet?!" The newcomer sized Vegeta up before giving him a stern, yet seemingly angry look, "I think I'm the one who should be asking the questions. Like what a group of people is conveniently doing waiting at my landing site. You're not with Apollyon, are you?" "Apollyon?" Goten chirped. "What's an Apollyon? Is that a type of apple?! I love apples!" "Shut up, Goten!" Trunks barked. "I'm trying to listen to the adults!" "We're not with anybody." Piccolo chimed in, his usual look of seriousness now dominating his mood. "But this is our home, so we are naturally curious when two large powers approach our planet." "I see." the alien replied. "Then I will tell you what you want to know." The alien adjusted his height, allowing the Z Warriors, for the first time, to get a good look at him. He was a tall, muscular man, standing slightly taller than Goku, with long black hair, which was being kept in place by a worn ponytail holder. Vegeta suddenly gasped, his eyes widening as he made a realization. "Wait a minute." he stammered. "You wouldn't happen to be a Saiyan, would you?" The alien seemed surprised by the question, "How do you know about the Saiyans?!" he barked. "As it so happens," Goku spoke up, his voice now ringing with seriousness. "We happen to be Saiyans too." The alien seemed floored by the revelation, "That's impossible! Our race is gone! I'm the only survivor left!" he roared. "You're not the only surprised one." Vegeta replied. "We, too, thought we were the only full-blooded Saiyans still alive. Now, tell us your name!" "Very well." the alien replied, seeming resigned to whatever fate awaited him with these strange warriors. "I am Beat. I come from the ." "Todokama? I've heard of that planet once. But that doesn't explain why you're here on Earth." Vegeta barked in response. "I was getting to that." Beat snapped. "You see, Todokama is no more. It was destroyed by a Demon Supreme Kai named Apollyon." The entire group seemed shell-shocked by this revelation. More than likely, their surprise was due to the revelation that this "Apollyon" figure was the evil power currently in route to the tiny planet of Earth. "Demon Supreme Kai?!" Gohan exclaimed. "I've heard of them." Goku explained. " told me that evil Kai are cast into the Demon World, where they become the rulers, much like how the Supreme Kai rule our Mortal Plane." "Yes, well, I tried to stop him." Beat continued, ignoring the new bit of information. "But I was still no match for him. Even as a Super Saiyan it was hopeless." The last bit of information grasped Vegeta's attention, "You can become a Super Saiyan?!" he gasped. "Yeah, but I'm not very good at it." Beat admitted. "Apollyon is just too strong!" "So this Apollyon guy must be the evil power we felt approaching the planet." Goku murmured, lowering his head to think. "Likely, that is the case. He probably followed me from Todokama to finish me off." Beat replied. "In that case, we'll help you beat him!" Goku exclaimed, giving Beat a thumbs up. "Thanks, but to be honest, I don't think any of us will stand a chance. If a Super Saiyan can't beat him, no one can." Beat griped. "Heh," Vegeta scoffed. "You're gravely underestimating our powers, my friend." "Yeah!" Trunks shouted. "We're all Super Saiyans too!" "And we can go beyond a Super Saiyan!" Goten chimed, jumping up from behind Trunks. "What?! Beyond a Super Saiyan!" Beat exclaimed. "Enough chatter!" Piccolo shouted, finally speaking up again. "We only have about an hour tops before this Apollyon guy arrives. I suggest we come up with a plan and fast!" "There's nothing we can plan for, Piccolo. We don't know this guy's strengths or weaknesses." Goku replied, wagging a finger in the air. "We've got to size him up. Then we'll come up with a plan." "If we even need one." Vegeta mocked in his normal cocky attitude. One Hour "Since we've got an hour," Piccolo began, being the first one to break the silence. "It might at least be best that we acquaint ourselves with our new ally. What's the point of fighting with a complete stranger?" "Fair enough." Beat replied, folding his arms and leaning up against a nearby rock formation. "What is it you'd like to know?" Piccolo, his full attention now on Beat, turned and folded his arms as well; "Well, to start, how did you survive Frieza's eradication of the Saiyans." he asked. "That is quite a tale." Beat replied as he furrowed his brow. "To be truthful, I didn't even know who Frieza was until many years after my arrival on Todokama. When I was a younger man, a Saiyan named came to Todokama and revealed to me my heritage. Apparently, I was the son of a low ranking Saiyan, named Taro. Like all low-rank Saiyan children, I was sent away after I was born. I was one of the few sent off the day Frieza destroyed our planet." "Paragus, huh?" Goku chimed in. "So then, you must've met too." "Oh did I..." Beat replied. "Broly transformed into a Super Saiyan soon after that and demolished my world. Luckily, he stopped short of completely destroying it. I lost what you could call my foster family in that incident... That is how I too became a Super Saiyan, though I was no match for him." "I see." Goku replied, a more grave tone to his voice. "I'm sorry for your loss." "Hmph, don't mention it." Beat snapped. "Now then, its your turns. Introductions are in order." "Very well, I'm Goku, a Saiyan raised here on Earth." Goku responded, smiling softly. "Piccolo." the large Namekian who engaged the conversation said. "I'm a Namek." "My name's Gohan." Gohan said, stepping forward. "I'm the half Saiyan son of Goku over there." "Half-Saiyan?" Beat interjected. "I suppose the race must survive somehow." "I'm Goten!" Goten chirped happily. "And I'm Trunks! We're also half Saiyans!" Trunks picked up. "And you?" Beat asked, looking over towards Vegeta. "Heh... Paragus seems to have left out part of your heritage." Vegeta sneered. "But if you must know, I'm Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans and father of that runt with the lavender hair." "Fancy that," Beat smirked. "The prince of Saiyans... here. How interesting. I hope you all are a strong as you say you are. We're going to need it... desperately." "We've faced our fair share of threats." Vegeta retorted. "This is just another to add to the bucket list." Piccolo suddenly widened his eyes, "He's here!" he shouted. "What?!" Goku roared. "It hasn't even been thirty minutes yet!" "We must've gotten wrapped up in our conversation and didn't notice him increasing his speed!" Piccolo replied. From the clouds, a pink sphere of energy descended, stopping halfway between the heavens and the ground. The light from the sphere soon faded, revealing a red-skinned Kai, with long white hair, and an outfit reminiscent of Dabura's old outfit. The Kai scanned the earth below him, immediately noticing the small group of warriors gathered not to far from his arrival point. He immediately spotted Beat among the group and grinned coyly. "Is that him?" Goku whispered in a hush tone. "Yes," Beat's voice quivered. "That's Apollyon." Without losing his grin, Apollyon slowly descended, landing on a raised plateau right in front of the amassed gathering. Once more, he surveyed them as if memorizing every detail on each of them. "This is quite the welcoming party you've assembled here, Saiyan." Apollyon sneered. Now that the newest threat to Earth's peace has been recognized, will the Z-Fighters have what it takes to protect the world once again? And just who is this monster, Apollyon? End...